The present invention relates to an apparatus for winding a magnetic tape, such as a video tape or audio tape, on a pair of reels. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for automatically winding a magnetic tape on a larger number of pairs of reels, such as in the manufacture of tape cassettes.
The magnetic tape of a video or audio magnetic tape cassette has leader tapes at both ends. In the manufacturing process thereof, magnetic tape and leader tapes are wound on one of the pair of reels. The magnetic tape winding operation was originally carried out manually, but of course manual winding is unsuitable for large-volume production. Accordingly, a variety of atuomatic tape winding apparatuses with which a magnetic tape can be automatically wound on reels have been proposed. (See, for instance, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications Nos. 105464/1983, 105465/1983 and 105466/1983.)
In these automatic winding apparatuses, a pair of reels to which a leader tape has been fastened is supplied, and the tape is cut into two parts. The leader tape of one of the reels and a magnetic tape from a magnetic tape roll stock are joined together with splicing tape, and a predetermined length of the magnetic tape is wound on the reel. Thereafter, the magnetic tape is cut, and the free end of the magnetic tape connected to the leader tape fastened to the other reel with splicing tape. These operations are automatically carried out.
In these apparatuses, an automatic reel supplying device and an automatic reel removing device have been improved in various manners in order to decrease the time required for winding the magnetic tape on the pair of reels.
As is apparent from the above description, in the conventional automatic winding apparatuses, the operations of cutting the leader tape and connecting the magnetic tape to the leader tapes fastened to the reels are carried out at a cutting and joining section. Accordingly, for the period of time which elapses from the time of cutting the leader tape fastened to the pair of reels until the time of winding the predetermined length of the magnetic tape on one of the reels, the other reel must be kept in a stand-by state. It is essentially impossible for the conventional automatic winding system to eliminate the time loss due to stand-by and to reduce the time required for winding.